Of Magic and Lies
by JessAngelus
Summary: Oz is having trouble controlling his wolf side after Buffy's death. He leaves Sunnydale in search of help before he hurts anyone. What he uncovers is something he never expected. How do you cope when everything you thought you knew…is a lie? Buffy/Oz
1. Chapter 1

Of Magic and Lies

Summary: Oz is having trouble controlling his wolf side after Buffy's death. He leaves Sunnydale in search of help before he hurts anyone. What he uncovers is something he never expected. How do you cope when everything you thought you knew…is a lie?

Timeline: AU from season 4 on. The Veruca thing never happened, Oz never left, and Tara never happened.

Pairings: Buffy/Oz

….

Oz shivered, despite the warm Tibetan summer air. He could never seem to get warm lately. He'd been in Tibet for 3 weeks and was no closer to getting his wolf under control. It didn't even take a full moon to bring the wolf out of him anymore. Granted he didn't fully transform like he did on his normal 3 nights of the month, but the beast within was right under the surface. Had been ever since May…ever since she died.

Maybe seeing someone that both the man and the wolf had respected, seen as a leader, an alpha, die the way she had, had done something to the wolf. Maybe this was the wolf's way of mourning?

He watched Mara walk around her tent with hooded eyes. He hoped whatever she had planned would work. He felt horrible. First his wolf had started acting up, then his body had begun to fail him as well. He felt like he had been hit by a truck while having the flu. He'd started feeling sick a week after he arrived, and it had only gotten worse. Mara was the Tibetan wolf pack's resident healer and 'Earth Mother'. From what he understood, Earth Mother was basically a witch, but she only used Earth based magics.

Mara turned, looking at the young wolf sitting on the floor, her eye filled with sympathy.

"Here." She handed him a warm mug of herbal tea. "Special herbs to promote wolfy healing."

"Thanks."

She sat in front of him, cross-legged and began lighting incense. "I'm going to start by reading your aura. A lot of the time, what ails us can be detected there first."

Oz just shrugged, willing to try almost anything. He closed his eyes and slowly sipped his tea as Mara began to chant.

"Keep your eyes closed. You'll be more centered."

Oz nodded, complying.

Mara frowned and stood, circling Oz, examining what she saw more closely.

"I've never seen an aura this cloudy… What happened to you?" Mara asked softly.

"What do you mean?"

She didn't answer, moving her hands as if she was pulling back layers, delving deeper. Her eyes widened.

"You never told me you had a mate. Did she die?" Mara asked, shock coloring her voice.

Oz almost opened his eyes. "Willow's not…I mean, we've been together a long time but…we-we never took that step. She's not my mate. And no, she didn't die. My-My friend did."

Mara frowned. Why would he lie about…No. She could clearly see he was being truthful with her. But she could also clearly see a mating bond. It was plain as day, as if it was a brand on his soul. A _severed_ mating bond.

When wolves mated, especially werewolves, they mated for life. The only way to break it, once the bond was formed, was for one of them to die. But Oz had said it was his friend that died, not his lover.

Something wasn't right. Mara closed her eyes and placed her hands on Oz's shoulders, searching his energies with her mind.

Magic. His energies, his aura, everything stank of magic. Dark magic. Layers and layers of it coated him like tar.

She let go and sat in front of him again. "It's no wonder you and your wolf are out of balance. Werewolves don't so well under spells."

Oz did open his eyes this time. "Spells?"

"Heavy ones at that. Heavy and dark. Someone's been using black magic on you." Mara said, her brows wrinkled in concern.

Oz looked down. "Yeah. There is one. There were these monks. They were trying to hide something called The Key. It's basically energy but… if it got in the wrong hands, it had the power to destroy the world. My friend…she was the Vampire Slayer. The monks hid the key in her kid sister. They did a spell to change everyone's memories, so no one would know what she really was. But…it never caused me any problems before."

Mara nodded, still looking at his aura. "Yes, I believe I see the evidence of that spell…but that one is pure. It's clean."

Oz frowned. "So, there's more?'

Mara nodded, her face grim. "Much more." She took his hand, her eyes sad. "There's something else."

He looked at her, something in her face making his chest tighten.

"If I'm correct, Oz…I think you're dying."

Oz let the words echo in his head, waiting for the shock, the fear, the…something that people were supposed to feel when they were told their time was up. Nothing came.

Mara was silent, watching his face. He didn't look upset, not that she would know what that looked like on him. He wasn't known for being very expressive.

"Oh." Was all he said when he finally spoke.

"I-it could be the black magic clouding things but… I'm certain I see a severed mating bond. But you said you've never…"

"I haven't."

Mara nodded. "I'll need to lift the spells. Then we'll see what we find."

Oz hesitated. "The one done by the monks…if you remove it, it won't hurt the girl, right?"

Mara smiled at him. Even now, faced with his own death, he was concerned for others. How could anyone like that have so much blackness in his aura? It couldn't have come from within. "No." She assured him. "No one will even know it was done."

Oz nodded and closed his eyes again. He was so tired.

"I'll need some help. I'm going to get Joanne."

Oz didn't respond, and she left.

Oz was quiet, but his mind was a mess. Because hey, dying. Not a great thing. Second, black magic? From the sounds of it, a lot of black magic. Sure, he'd lived on a Hellmouth his entire life but… was that really it? And he knew it couldn't be because he was a werewolf. Mara was too. She'd know the difference. And yeah, Willow practiced magic, but not that often… and certainly nothing dark. Right?

Oz mentally shook the thought away. His girlfriend wasn't exactly the fuzzy sweater wearing, pencil floater she had been in high school, but she was still the sweetest girl he'd ever known. The magic she'd used to help fight glory hadn't been all sun shine and rainbows, but it wasn't black. His Willow would never mess with anything that dark. She didn't even say bad words.

He smiled a bit at the thought of Willow, but his heart was braking. She'd been so sad when he'd told her he had to come here. Now he may not be returning. She'd just lost her best friend, what would she do if she lost him too?

He was pulled from his thoughts as Mara returned with Joanne.

"I've filled Joanne in on what's going on." Mara said. She pulled out a mat and some pillows. "Lie here. Get comfy."

Oz did as she asked, setting down into the pillows, his sore muscles protesting every movement.

Joanne began gathering what they needed. "We're going to put you in a trance. As we remove the spells, you'll begin to see the truth of whatever has been altered, in your mind. Like a dream. This may take a while. We have to be careful when removing the spells. Since you don't know who them did, we wouldn't want to alert the caster."

"Sounds good." Was all he said, ever the man of few words.

The two women knelt next to him and began the chant. The smell of burning sage stung Oz's nose and he felt like he was floating. As the spells fell away, his mind was transported back to Sunnydale…


	2. Chapter 2

Of Magic and Lies

Chapter 2

AN: Okay guys, I'm super excited for this chapter. And it is HUGE. Sorry about that, but I couldn't find a spot to naturally end the chapter, so I did all of Oz's spell induced mind walk in one big fat chapter.

Certain parts of this are rated M, just so you know.

Reviews are super appreciated, I've never written anything quite like this before. I hope you enjoy. More to come!

…

Oz's POV

 _It's a strange feeling, having your life torn apart. I don't mean on a small scale either, like losing a lover, or finding out you're dying. Death would have been easier than this. Watching my life…my real life, flash before my eyes has been the single most painful thing I've ever endured._

 _Willow did this. Changed everything. My entire life…with one spell._

 _Everything I thought I knew…was a lie._

 _My senior year at Sunnydale high, the first time, I mean, I met the girl of my dreams. And it wasn't Willow Rosenburg._

 _She was light personified. All sunshine and smiles. And she was absolutely gorgeous but wasn't the least but conceited or cruel like so many others would have been. I'd admired her from afar since the beginning of the school year but came suddenly crashing into her life when a crazed woman tried to shoot her at the Career Fair. I pushed her out of the way, taking the bullet in my arm. Little did I know, she was the last person who would ever need saving._

 _She grabbed me and pulled me behind a booth, assessing the damage like a trained medic, putting pressure on the wound. It should have hurt…and it did later. But at the time, I couldn't feel a thing because she was touching me, talking to me, looking at me like she was worried about me._

 _Then Crazy Lady was firing again and running from the school. I could tell she wanted to follow, though I didn't understand why._

" _Go. I'll be fine."_

 _She hesitated. "Are you sure? I could- "_

" _I'll be alright. Promise. Go."_

 _She sprinted off and suddenly my arm hurt, but I smiled, because it felt like a beginning. And it was._

 _She found me by my locker the next day, a bunch of sun flowers in her hand._

" _These are for you. A thank you, for saving my life."_

" _Oh..." I know my face is red at this point. "You didn't have to do that."_

 _She smiled at me and I forgot how to breathe. "I wanted to. You took a bullet for some girl you never met. Flowers don't even half way cover it."_

 _I blink at her. I don't usually say very much but I suddenly find myself searching for words. I take the flowers with the hand not currently in a sling. "Thank you."_

 _I got it again, that 1000-kilowatt smile. "So, can I know the name of my mystery hero?"_

 _Oh. Right. I know her name because I'm her borderline creepy stalker guy. That doesn't mean she knows mine. "Daniel Osborne. But call me Oz."_

" _Oz." She rolls my name off her tongue and I'm suddenly addicted to the way she says it. "I like it. I'm Buffy Summers."_

" _I know." She raised a perfect golden eyebrow at me, but I volunteer no explanation._

" _Well I'll see you around, Oz."_

 _And just like that, I was falling for her. I wish I had been paying more attention, but it was hard to focus on anything that wasn't Buffy when she was around. But if I'd paid more attention, I would have seen the look on her best friend's face and just maybe…I would have seen this coming._

… _.._

 _It was her birthday before I finally found the guts to ask her out. Only she beat me to the punch, because of course she did._

 _Her friends threw her a surprise party at the Bronze, which was crashed by a broody older guy with an arm in a box. An arm that reached up and tried to strange her. Kinda didn't like the broody guy much after that. He didn't seem too fond of me either to be honest._

 _That's when I found out the girl of my dreams had a secret. A pretty big one at that. She was the Vampire Slayer. Like a super hero with a secret identify and everything._

 _I'm man enough to admit I felt inadequate for a minute, but then she was staring at me with those big hazel eyes, her usual unwavering confidence nowhere to be found. She was waiting to see what I'd do, waiting for me to freak out and reject her. Never gonna happen._

" _Okay."_

 _She blinked, surprised. "You're not freaked?"_

" _Nope. I think it's cool."_

 _That earned me an armful of Buffy and a glare from the big broody one. Then it clicked. He wanted Buffy. Couldn't really blame him, but that wasn't gonna happen either if I had anything to do with it._

 _Buffy was a little bummed her party got cut short by the forces of darkness but Angel, as I learned the broody one was called, went to get rid of the arm in a box, and I took Buffy for ice cream. And I got to give her my present._

 _A mix tape. Not the most original thing in the world, I admit, but we had just started hanging out and I didn't want to scare her off by getting her jewelry or something._

 _Apparently, she liked it, since the next day, after she had listened to it, she kissed me for the first time. All kisses that came before that one became irrelevant._

 _I'd like to say the rest is history and we lived happily ever after, but that's not what happened._

 _Angel disappeared. He never made it out of Sunnydale with the arm. We found out a day later, he'd been ambushed at the docks and captured by Spike and Drusilla. They assembled the Judge and Drusilla had gotten a shaman to strip Angel of his soul, unleashing Angelus on the world._

 _Buffy was devastated. Angel had been a friend, an ally, and now he was committed to tormenting her at every turn._

 _But Buffy is smart. She likes to make people think that she isn't. It's a good strategy because then everyone underestimates you. Like the Judge did. My girl blew him away with a rocket launcher._

 _Then…more bad stuff happened. Because this is Sunnydale. I found out I was a werewolf. And then Buffy found out._

 _I hadn't known what to expect. Would she slay me? Would she look at me in disgust?_

 _Buffy hadn't done either. She'd been right there when I woke up in the library cage, her back turned. Not sure if that had been for her sake or mine. But she'd opened the cage and smiled at me with that smile that makes me forget what lungs are for._

 _She'd sat next to me and held my hand while Giles went over Werewolf 101. Giles went back in his office and I look at her, then down at our joined hands._

" _You-You'd still…?"_

" _Course I would. You're still Oz. I'm still Buffy. So, you're gonna be a little furry 3 nights a month. There are 3 days a month I'm not great company either."_

 _I kissed her then, but alarm bells were going off in my newly installed wolf alarm system. Not from Buffy, no. From the seemingly harmless red head watching us through the door._

 _Buffy and I survived the year. Jenny Calendar and so many others did not. We found out Jenny was a gypsy from the clan that had cursed Angel with a soul. So did Angel. And we got to see first hand just how evil he could be._

 _But in the end, Buffy managed a victory. She sent Angel to hell when he tried to unleash Acathla. Spike and Drusilla headed for the hills and life returned to normal. Well, normal for a Hellmouth._

 _Then she spent Summer break in LA with her dad, and my time, when I wasn't practicing with the Dingoes, was spent counting the days until she got back. And also hanging out with the Scoobies since I was apparently one of them now._

 _Willow had been particularly friendly. Almost too much so. She always wanted to hang out, insisting she wanted to make sure I wasn't 'lonely'. She was Buffy's best friend, so I went along with it most of the time, but I was very relieved when Buffy returned._

 _When she came back, Buffy and I were closer than ever. I started joining her when she trained with Giles, wanting to hone my new-found werewolf strength. Lycanthrope was a burden, but Buffy was there through it all, and sometimes I was even happy about it, like when we patrolled together, and I got to prove I could hold my own. We completed each other. I loved her, and lucky me, she loved me back._

 _Then our anniversary came. That was the night we made love for the first time. It wasn't my first time, but it had been hers. Her mom was gone on a buying trip, and we spent the whole weekend in her room, exploring this new aspect of our relationship._

 _Willow called a lot. Best friend withdrawal, is what Buffy had chalked it up to._

 _Then Faith entered the picture. I liked Faith. She was good for Buffy. Not always the best influence, but she made Buffy feel less alone._

 _Willow didn't like Faith. Didn't like the way Xander stared at her boobs, didn't like the way she could bond with Buffy over Slayer stuff. Didn't like the fact that they had no problem including me in their Slayer stuff when the others weren't invited._

 _Then we found out Angel came back from hell. Willow had managed to restore his soul before Buffy killed him, so it was the soulful version who returned, thankfully._

 _We also found out Xander had cheated on Cordelia with Willow. Willow had just started dating Scott Hope, and the new relationship did not survive the blow._

 _After that, Willow was…different. I was never comfortable around her again. She spent more time practicing magic and less time with her friends._

 _Admittedly, Buffy wasn't the best friend she could have been to Willow during that time. But in her defense, there was a lot going on. Between our relationship, which at times was pretty intense, and her friendship with Faith, and then finding out the Mayor was going to turn into a giant demon, she missed the warning signs, and so did everyone else._

 _Willow dated Xander for a few months and things got a little better. But then they weren't… Xander was seduced by Faith one night. The day Faith accidentally blurted out that tidbit while we were all in the library was…ugly._

 _Willow withdrew even further. Buffy tried to be there for her, be the supportive best friend, but Willow didn't seem to want her around. Oh, she still came to the library, and helped with research. She was present. Just not connected._

 _Then... it was 2 days before Prom. Tensions were high since we were all pretty sure we were gonna be Mayor food come graduation. My furry time of the month had been 2 days ago, and the dark energies the Mayor was channeling through the Hellmouth had made the transformation much more painful than usual. All in all, it was a bad combination._

 _And it led to our first fight. About Angel of all things._

 _I was stressed out, I was still in pain from the lunar cycle, and I was trekking through a sewer for reasons I didn't really care enough to find out. Buffy was talking excitedly about the Prom. Her one perfectly normal high school moment._

 _And she smelled like Angel._

 _Not intimately of course. Buffy wasn't that kind of person. But the vampire had been getting on my nerves lately. He'd been around a lot more lately, helping out with preparations for the ascension, and he could always seem to find a reason to touch her._

 _Touching her arm to get her attention, leaning on her to steady himself, brushing her hands when she handed him something, awkward hugs if he thought she looked sad. I'm not usually the jealous type, maybe it was the stress, but it was pissing me off._

 _But there are just certain things I don't do. They aren't me and I don't do them. Raising my voice is one of those things. I just don't see a point to it. Arguing with people is another. Especially with Buffy. That way leads to badness. And snapping at people. I don't do it. That's more of a Xander thing. Especially with Buffy._

 _But that night I did all of those things. And all of them were with Buffy._

" _Oz are you listening to me?"_

" _No." It was short and snappy and rude._

 _Buffy stopped walking and gaped at me. "What?"_

 _I turned to her and came very close to making an angry expression. But I didn't. "There's a really good chance we'll be dead in a few days. Really not interested in talking about Prom."_

 _Buffy snapped her mouth closed with an audible snap and glared at me. "Fine. I'll just be quite."_

" _Cool." The glare got worse. I'm surprised my face didn't melt off. "Maybe later you can go talk about Prom with Angel."_

 _For a second, I thought she was gonna hit me._

" _What is your problem?!"_

" _Problem?" I start walking again._

" _Yeah. What the hell is your problem?"_

 _This is really where I should have let things drop. Buffy's not big on the swear words. Not that she doesn't say them…just not to me. This means she's pissed._

" _My problem, Buffy, is that you reek of Angel! What is his deal that he always has to be touching you or hugging you.?"_

 _Buffy frowned. "You're serious right now."_

" _Yeah."_

" _You know there's nothing going on between me and Angel… Gosh, I thought we had more trust than that."_

" _It's not you I don't trust."_

 _Buffy shook her head. "That's so lame."_

" _Glad you think so." I sighed. Fighting with Buffy was really draining. "Can we just find whatever it is we're here for, so we can go?"_

 _Buffy gave me a hard look. "I'll find it myself. You can go."_

 _And she stormed off._

 _And I instantly felt like shit._

 _But we both made mistakes that night. Mine was being an ass. Hers was leaning on the wrong person._

 _Buffy, being the girl, she is, went straight to her best friend for a shoulder to cry on._

 _She shouldn't have._

 _The next day after school, I'm getting ready to go home when Willow approached me._

" _Hey Oz."_

" _Hey." I tried to relax. I did. She's Buffy's friend after all, and I guess kind of my friend too. But something about her had been putting me on edge for a while, and I had learned to trust that feeling._

" _I heard you and Buffy had a fight. I'm sorry. You must be really upset." She said, looking at me sympathetically._

 _I shrugged, not saying anything._

 _She smiled at me, and my lungs worked just fine. "I-If you ever need to talk, I'm here."_

" _Thanks Willow."_

 _Next thing I know she's got a hand on the back of my neck and she's leaning in to kiss me. This is the moment I should have done all those Un-Oz like things. The snapping, the yelling, all of it. Not last night. Not with Buffy._

 _But I didn't. I didn't do any of those things here. I also didn't let her kiss me. That was never gonna happen._

 _I pushed her away, gently but firmly, and fixed her with a hard stare for a moment. Then I turned and walked away._

 _One more thing I wasn't gonna do. I wasn't gonna tell Buffy._

 _What I did do, though, was go straight to her house to apologize._

 _She had enough on her plate; Graduation, The Mayor, traitorous friends, she didn't need me acting like a jerk added to it. She needed me to be Oz. And that's exactly who I was going to be._

 _She opened the door and blinked, like she was surprised I was there. She didn't say anything but moved aside, motioning me in._

 _Her mom wasn't home yet._

 _We sat down on the couch in the living room and she looked down at her hands._

 _I spoke first._

" _I'm sorry. I acted like a jerk."_

 _She looked at me, surprised. Because that doesn't happen._

 _I chuckled a little. "Probably a sign of the approaching apocalypse."_

 _She's not fooled by my attempt at humor. "Do you wanna talk about it?"_

 _She's not talking about the argument. I shook my head. "Rough moon. My fault. I'm sorry."_

 _She looked down again. "Angel's leaving after graduation. He's leaving town. So, you don't have to worry about him anymore."_

 _I'm a jerk._

" _I wasn't worried. There's just... a lot happening right now. I took it out on you. I'm sorry your friend is leaving."_

" _It's fine. He needs to go somewhere he isn't constantly reminded of the horrors he did as Angelus. Giles always looks at him like destroyed the world."_

" _To Giles…he did."_

 _Buffy nodded sadly. "Yeah…he did."_

 _I took her hands in mine. "We're gonna get through this. We'll find a way. That's what the good guys do."_

 _She smiled at me, but it was filled with sadness and uncertainly, and the weight of everything she had to carry. My lungs quit working none the less. Because this was Buffy._

 _Willow was not Buffy and never would be. I didn't tell Buffy about Willow._

" _I love you. More than I ever imagined it was possible to love another person." She looks panicked now, and I know exactly why. "I'm not saying this because I think we're going to die. Opposite actually. I'm saying this because when we go face demon snake Mayor tomorrow, I want you to think about what we're going to do the day after that. And the day after that. And I'm saying this because I have no doubt in my mind that I'm going to marry you one day, Buffy Summers."_

 _Buffy gaped. "Did you just propose to me?"_

 _I grinned at her. "No."_

" _Okay. Because proposing right because we might all die, is SO not allowed, mister!"_

" _I'll keep that in mind."_

 _She kissed me then, and I felt the tension of the day before lift. I swept her up in my arms and headed upstairs. If this was our last night on Earth, I was gonna spend it in her arms. And other various warm Buffy-places, mom or no mom._

 _She broke away long enough to tell me she sent her mom away from the Hellmouth.  
No mom is it then. _

_..._

 _The next day was bad. Really bad. Faith got taken out by one of the Mayor's goons and was lying in the hospital in a coma._

 _Buffy was a wreck. The arrow had been meant for her. I couldn't help but be glad it hadn't been her. I'm selfish that way._

 _Willow sat in the library with everyone before the battle. If Buffy noticed her staring at me, she didn't comment. She probably didn't notice, what with trying to save the world._

 _I had hoped she'd get the point and let whatever her little fascination was with me drop. Guess not._

 _I wish I had told Buffy. Maybe she'd have seen this coming._

 _..._

 _We beat the Mayor. The high school was toast. Faith was still in a coma and Buffy visited her daily._

 _We spent the summer together, hanging out and getting ready for college life. Willow was around too, in a way she hadn't been in a while. I wanted to be happy that Buffy's friend seemed to have come out of her funk… But I wasn't. I was worried. Something wasn't right and this sudden desire to reconnect with everyone was unsettling._

 _I'll regret for the rest of my life that I never told Buffy. Buffy is smart. She would have seen this coming. I didn't see this coming._

 _The time came, and we started at UC Sunnydale. Buffy's roommate was a demon. Buffy got rid of her then got Willow as a roommate instead._

 _Funny how that didn't make me feel better._

 _Things slowed down for a while and Buffy and I had a lot of time for… each other._

 _There was something I had been wanting to talk about with her for a while. But I kept putting it off, scared of what she might think… what she might say. Mostly scared of her saying no._

 _I act like a slacker, but I can be a pretty studious guy when I want to be. And when I became a werewolf, I studied up. Knowledge is power and all that._

 _I had also gotten pretty in tune with the wolf within me. That was mostly thanks to Buffy. I never had to pretend with her. Never had to act more human than I felt. The closer it gets to the full moon, the closer the wolf is to the surface, and some days, I felt like more wolf than man. And Buffy…that beautiful creature I got to call mine could always tell, just by looking at me. On the more human days, we'd go to the Expresso Pump or watch movies and eat cookies. On my…less human days, we'd go for a long run away from people. Or we'd go to the beach and sit on the sand and she'd read to me while I laid my head in her lap. Always away from people. The wolf doesn't like people. Well people that aren't Buffy, anyway._

 _That brings me back to what I wanted to ask her. We'd already talked about the marriage thing, and she was on board. But… all the wolf parts of me ached for her. Constantly. It was like Oz the human had Buffy, but Oz the wolf didn't. Oz the wolf… wanted her as a mate._

 _This wasn't something to be taken lightly. Werewolves mate for life. Literally. If the bond was strong enough, if one mate died, the other would often follow. Their bodies would just…give out. This could potentially cause the 'No' I was so afraid of. Buffy was the Slayer. That usually doesn't come with a long shelf life. But I didn't care. To me… Buffy was air. If she was ever gone… what reason did I have to stay?_

 _But I'd made my choice, not like there was much of one. I went and found her that day before I lost my nerve. She was in the cafeteria. With Willow. Great._

" _Hey."_

 _She turned and looked at me, and I wondered for a moment if there would ever come a day when I could breathe when she smiled. Probably not._

" _Hey you." She gave me a quick kiss._

 _I grinned at her. "Can't stay long, got class in a minute. You doing anything later?"_

 _She shook her head. "I'm all yours."_

" _Cool. I wanted to talk to you about something."_

 _She raised an eyebrow at me. "A good something or a bad something?"_

 _I reached out, running my fingers through the bit of her hair laying on her shoulder. "I think it's a good something."_

 _She smiled at me coyly then. "Oooh. Is it a sexy something?"_

 _My grin widened. "It could be a sexy something."_

 _Her eyes grew wide. "It's not the kind of sexy something that's gonna hurt right? Cause I mean…"_

 _A bark of laughter escaped me, and I turned to leave. "I'll see you later, baby."_

 _Willow came up behind her. "What was that about?"_

" _Not sure. He'll tell me later. I hope he's not gonna ask to stick it in my ass, cause I don't think I'm ready for that."_

 _I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter as I walk out of the cafeteria. Sometimes she forgets how good my wolf hearing is. Or maybe she doesn't…_

" _Buffy!" I heard Willow exclaim._

" _Sorry. That's something Faith would have said. I miss her…"_

 _I didn't hear the rest, but there was no chance of me paying any attention in class after that._

… _._

 _Later that night we were in my room. I don't do nervous very well and Buffy was looking at me funny, and I imagine I probably look something like Willow when she's had caffeine. Not a great look._

" _What's up with you?"_

 _I shrugged nd sat next to her on the bed._

" _I um… I wanted to ask you something."_

" _So you mentioned."_

" _And no, your ass is safe. For now, anyway."_

 _She laughed, and I knew she knew I heard her._

" _So what is it?" I guess she saw my nerves because she took my hand and the playful tone was gone from her voice. "Come on, you know you can ask my anything."_

 _I took a deep breath and went for it in typical Oz fashion. "I want you to be my mate." To the point. Minimal words._

" _Splainy."_

 _Nope. Not getting off that easy._

" _It's a wolf thing." I passed her the book that was sitting on my desk. I wanted her to have all the details before she made her choice._

 _I watched her face as she read the passage, watched the various emotions play across her delicate features. Confusion, happiness, lust, then…horror._

 _She snapped the book shut and stood up, dropping it back on my desk like it burned her._

 _When she turned and looked at me, her eyes were wide and glassy. "Oz…you can't expect me to do this."_

 _I expected this, but it didn't stop the stab of pain at her initial rejection._

" _Buffy- "_

" _No! Oz… you do realize I'm The Slayer, right? That book… it said if one of us dies, the other could die too! I'm not… I c-can't…"_

 _I moved toward her, taking her hands in mine. "Buffy, I know what it says, but here me out."_

 _She looked everywhere but at me. I placed my hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look in my eyes. "Honey listen. You're it for me. My one and only. You are the single most important person in my life, and if you weren't here… it'd be like losing a limb or worse, a torso. Where you go, I go. Whether that be on patrol or-or to get pizza, or into the afterlife. I'm good with that. I'm not worried." I wiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of my thumb. "Your battles are my battles. We're probably going to end up going out together anyway. And I wouldn't have it any other way. But this is about more than that. I need you. All of me needs you."_

" _You have me." She choked out._

" _I know that. I do." I reassured her. "But… the wolf needs to feel like he has you too. And…is for that part of me. Does that make sense?"_

 _She nodded slowly. "I get it…I do. I just hate the thought of you dying because of me."_

 _I smiled a little. "And I knew you' d feel that way before I ever asked."_

 _She stepped back a bit, looking at the floor._

" _I-I need some time… to think about this and…process…everything."_

 _I nodded but I suddenly felt sick. "Of course. Take as much time as you need."_

" _Okay. I should go." She pressed a kiss to my lips. "I love you."_

" _I love you too."_

 _The sound of the door shutting as she left was the worst sound I'd ever heard._

… _.._

 _The next morning was awful. I knew it the second I woke up. I was honestly surprised my eyes weren't yellow. I was way more wolf than man, which was a little surprising since the full moon was still 6 days away. But I knew why._

 _I had slept alone for the first time in a very long time, and the wolf was pissed. He felt like I fucked everything up. Hell, I felt like I fucked everything up. Usually when I had days like this, Buffy was there to 'soothe the savage beast' so to speak. Which basically involved her sitting on my face until I no longer wanted to kill people._

 _That would not be happening today. So, plan B. Meditating and hoping no one got hurt._

 _I didn't see Buffy during the day. I wasn't even sure she went to class, which did nothing for my mood._

 _I needed Buffy. But Buffy needed time. So that's what I'd give her._

 _That night, I sat on my bedroom floor, barefoot and shirtless, mediating in a desperate attempt to calm my wolf. No one else was home, and the silence was welcomed._

 _My concentration was broken by a loud clap of thunder, and I hoped Buffy wasn't patrolling in this. Or if she was, hoped she would at least call me to pick her up._

 _A few minutes later I was disturbed again by a knock on the front door. I answered it and there before me was the subject of my thoughts, completely soaked to the bone, and shivering, her thin, zip-up hoodie doing nothing to shield her from the downpour._

 _I asked no questions as I pulled her inside and led her to my room. She didn't need questions right now. She needed me to be Oz._

 _Her lips trembled as I stripped off her wet clothes and dried her off with her favorite fluffy towel. I pulled one of my shirts over her head and we sat down on the bed. I pulled her into my arms and the shivering stopped._

" _You're wolfy today." Was the first thing she said._

 _I nodded. When the wolf is close to the surface, I tend to talk even less. She's used to it._

" _I'm sorry. I didn't know. The moon is still a few days off."_

 _I shook my head. "Don't be."_

" _Oz…" Her voice was soft. "I'll do it."_

 _My brow furrowed, and she turned to face me, pressing her forehead against mine._

" _I want all of you. And I want all of you to have all of me. So... my answer is yes."_

 _I felt the pain that had been in my chest since she walked out the door yesterday, finally ease._

" _Are you sure, Buffy?" I asked anyway. There was no going back after this._

" _It's not about when we'll die." She said, her voice strong and confident now. "It's about how we'll live. Joined. Connected. Forever."_

 _And I was suddenly very glad the wolf was so close to the surface. After all…this was for him...me…us._

 _And there was only one word the wolf needed to say: "Mine." It was more growl than word as I captured her lips and pushed her back onto the bed._

 _My shirt disappeared, and my princess laid bare before me, my pants soon joined it, and I was between her thighs. The quiet, needy sounds she made, made my head spin, and the man in me took a backseat, allowing the wolf to claim his mate._

 _She was slick and hot as I slid inside, my eyes screwed shut as I struggled to maintain what little control I had. I drew out of her slowly before pushing back in, Buffy's hips rolling to meet my thrusts. We were a perfect fit. Soon the rhythm was set, and I was pounding into her silken heat. I didn't need to be gentle with Buffy. She could take everything I had to offer and give back as good as she got. I growled as she fisted a hand in my hair, the tingling pain only heightening my senses. I leaned my face into her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. My tongue darted out, laving at the spot where my mark would go. I groaned deeply as glorious Slayer muscles clench around my cock. I reached between us, rubbing the swollen sensitive nub. As she exploded around me, I bit down, feeling my teeth extend. Deep enough to break the skin, not enough to draw blood._

 _And I actually felt the bond snap into place as my climax hit…and then everything went black._

 _We came to somewhere around noon the next day, our classes for the day blown. There was a pleasant hum in a place I couldn't identify where our bond had formed, and we spent the next few days exploring the differences._

 _It was nothing dramatic. We couldn't communicate telepathically or anything. But there was definitely a certain awareness of each other. I knew when she was nearby, even if I couldn't see her. It was like I could feel her presence inside me._

 _And the wolf was calm._

 _The moon that followed our mating was the easiest I'd ever had. The transformation was nearly painless, and I was aware of what was going on. I couldn't control anything, but I remembered everything that happened the next morning._

 _Buffy was excited, and we made a mental note to talk to Giles about it at some point. But we got distracted and caught up in each other and forgot to mention it. Something I'm grateful for now._

 _Then, about 6 weeks later, Buffy got sick. Really sick. She had been feeling off for a few days. Barely eating, headaches, nausea._

 _Of course, she refused to go to the doctor. Then one night she collapsed._

 _I rushed her to the hospital and waited anxiously as the doctors checked her. For some reason, I didn't call anyone. Not her mom, not Giles. I don't know if it was nerves or maybe on some level I knew what was wrong. Either way, as the doctor spoke the words, I was glad it was just us._

 _Buffy was pregnant._

 _She was terrified, of course. We both were. She was only 19, I was only 20. Not to mention the whole Slayer and Werewolf complications. But after it passed… we were happy._

 _The doctor gave her medicine to help with the nausea and we went back to my place. The rest of the night, I just held her in my arms as we stared at the tiny sonogram picture the doctor had given us._

 _I laid awake after Buffy had drifted off to sleep, my mind racing. It was a lot to process, but I was already making plans._

…

 _The next morning, while Buffy was in class, I called my mom. Admittedly, a rare occurrence, but I needed something from her. The key to her safe deposit box where my grandparents' Claddagh rings were kept._

" _Sure, hon. It's in my top drawer. What for?"_

" _I'm gonna propose to Buffy."_

" _Oh, how nice, sweetie." My mom was distracted. She usually was. That was fine, I could work with that._

" _Hey… you don't mind if Buffy and I move into the house, do you? I mean, I'll need to do a couple repairs first…"_

" _Well I don't see why not. Better than it sitting there empty. I'll send some money, so you can fix it."_

" _Cool, thanks mom."_

" _All my love."_

" _You too. Bye."_

 _Things were starting to take shape. The house would be a surprise, closer to when the baby was due. The only challenge would be finding time to sneak away to do the repairs. And paint the baby's room._

 _There was so much going on, I forgot all about Willow and her strange behavior._

…

 _A few days later, Buffy and I were at the beach, watching the sun set. I'll never forget the way the orange light bathed her face, making her look like every bit of the angel I thought she was._

 _And right there, before her, I dropped to one knee. No speeches, no fanfare. Just us and the sound of the crashing waves. I extended my hand, the small satin box open, displaying my grandmother's ring. It was simple, shiny and silver, the crown, heart, and hands symbolizing everything this woman was to me._

" _Buffy," I said softly, barely more than a whisper. "Marry me?"_

 _Buffy stared at me for a moment, her eyes wide and damp. My heart felt like it was coming out of my chest. I was pretty sure I knew her answer, but that didn't make it any easier._

 _A lone tear rolled down her cheek and she finally spoke. "Yes."_

 _Then she was in my arms and my thoughts went back to the Career Fair three years ago. Shot in the arm, and the beautiful blond ray of sunshine fussing over me, then chasing a crazy lady with a gun out of the school and feeling like that moment was the beginning of something. This moment felt like that too. The beginning of something even better._

 _And there was something I was supposed to remember… but I didn't._

… _._

 _That weekend Buffy and I drove to Lake Tahoe. We hadn't told anyone what we were doing. The days to come would be filled with explanations and judgments and lectures. But this weekend was for us._

 _I was marrying my best friend._

 _We got to the chapel and Buffy disappeared into the back to get ready, the minister's wife fussing over her the whole way._

 _Getting ready for me took all of 10 minutes, a simple black tux, rented shortly before we came. Apparently, I grew at some point since high school. The tux from Prom didn't fit right anymore._

 _I stood at the alter waiting for the love of my life. The minister gave me a reassuring smile. The church was beautiful, decorated in white and pink flowers and lace and everything else I didn't really care about but hoped Buffy wanted._

 _And then she was there._

 _At the end of the aisle stood everything I had ever wanted. And I couldn't breathe. Wasn't even trying._

 _The dress she wore hugged every curve, the strapless gown proudly showing off my mark on her neck, and the waves of silk hung down to the floor making her look like she was floating towards me._

 _I don't remember much of the ceremony. I don't remember the words I repeated._

 _I remember the warmth of her hand in mine and I slid the ring on her finger, I remember the way her eyes sparkled as she looked at me like I was someone worthy._

 _I remember the kiss that joined us together every bit as much as the mark on her neck._

 _And I remember thinking 'This is forever'._

 _I wish that had been true._

…

 _The time came to head back to Sunnydale. It was time to share our news and ride out the chaos that would no doubt follow._

 _We met up with everyone at Giles' apartment and I could tell Buffy was nervous._

 _I squeezed her hand gently in mine. "It's gonna be fine."_

 _She nodded, and we walked through to door. Giles was sitting in his arm chair, Willow, Xander, and Xander's new girlfriend Anya were sitting on the sofa. Buffy and I took the smaller sofa on the other side._

 _The 'hi's' were exchanged, and I caught the way Willow looked at our joined hands. That was what I'd forgotten about. Willow._

 _Willow's eyes held mine for a moment and there was something in them I couldn't quite describe. It was like she knew something I didn't. Then Buffy was talking, and the moment was gone._

" _So, there's something we wanted to tell you guys." Her nerves couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. She held up her left hand, proudly displaying the Claddagh pointed inward. "We got married!"_

 _The others erupted into various exclamations of shock, but I was watching Willow's face. She can be sneaky but hiding her emotions is an afterthought most of the time. This time was no different. For a brief moment I could clearly see the horror, rage, and despair, before she hid it behind a mask of surprise and friendly support._

 _I was going to have to keep an eye on her._

" _Married? Buffy why didn't you tell me? I would have gone!" Willow said, her voice a little too high._

" _I'm sorry Will. I was kind of a spur of the moment thing, and we wanted it to be just us. Our last 'Us' moment before life gets all crazy." She glanced at me and that was my cue to pick up with the next part of our news._

 _Sure honey, thanks for giving me the hard one. Giles isn't going to choke_ _ **her**_ _._

 _I cleared my throat and looked down at my hands, basically anywhere that wasn't Giles' face. "That brings us to the next part of our news. Buffy's pregnant."_

 _Silence._

 _I dared to sneak a look at Giles' face, half expecting him to be cleaning his glasses. He wasn't. Nope he was staring dead at me and I was forcefully reminded of his Ripper past._

 _Anya broke the silence and for once I was glad for her bluntness. "Well congratulations on impregnating the Slayer. For a Werewolf, I'm sure this is quite an accomplishment."_

 _Maybe a little too blunt._

 _I swallowed. "Um, thanks?"_

 _Giles stood, his face stern. "I trust I don't need to tell you how rash and irresponsible you've both been." We shook our heads and Giles continued. "I am incredibly disappointed in you Buffy. You are the Slayer. You have a responsibility to defend the Hellmouth. A responsibility that, unless Faith wakes, will be left unattended. It would be far too dangerous for you to continue to patrol as your pregnancy progresses."_

 _I spoke up then. "It won't be unattended. I'm taking over patrols."_

 _Buffy looked at me, surprised. We hadn't talked about this part._

" _Starting right now." I stressed to her. She opened her mouth to protest and I shook my head. "I know you're capable. But it's not about you right now."_

 _She sighed, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine."_

 _I looked back up at Giles. Now he was cleaning his glasses. The worst had passed._

" _Very well. Do be careful. Both of you. Have you told your mother?"_

 _Buffy sighed again. "No. She's our next stop."_

 _Xander seemed to find his voice again. "Well Buff…I guess, congratz." He flashed her a smile and I felt her relax a little. "I get to be cool uncle Xander!" Xander stood and opened his arms and Buffy jumped up, hugging her friend._

 _I glanced at Willow and she was watching her 2 best friends, her face unreadable. Maybe this would be enough to make her move past her infatuation. Willow wasn't a bad person. She was a friend and I wanted her to be happy._

 _I like to think I'm a good judge of character. I like to think that. But apparently, I'm not. After all…Willow's the reason my life was torn apart._

… _._

 _The Holidays came around and Buffy was starting to feel maternal already. She made a huge Thanksgiving dinner for everyone at Giles' house, since her mother was out of town. But this is Sunnydale and we were ambushed by vengeful spirits. Buffy, to her credit, really tried to stay out of the fight but she got attacked while hiding behind the now harmless, chipped, Spike. She had a doctor's appointment the next week anyway and we were relieved that everything was fine._

 _Christmas was good too. The gang got together at Buffy's house this time and Mrs. Summers made sure everyone was stuffed and happy. Buffy got a little weepy, hoping she'd be as good a mother as her own._

 _Her hormones were doing some strange things lately. And she was finally starting to show a little. In another month, we would find out if the baby was a boy or a girl. I was secretly hoping for a girl. I know most guys tend to want a boy, but I couldn't help wanting a little tiny mini-Buffy._

 _Buffy's birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks and all in all, life was good._

 _That should have been my first clue that things were about to go horribly wrong._

… _._

 _It was a chilly night and I was restless, anxious, for reasons unknown. I was walking to my van after patrol when Xander found me. He was running toward me, his face pale._

" _We have to go to the hospital. It's Buffy."_

 _Those words slammed into me, like a blow to the gut. But I was in motion in an instant. I understood now, the reason I'd been on edge. My mate needed me._

 _The drive to the hospital was a blur and I barely had time to turn off the ignition before I was sprinting into Sunnydale's ER._

 _Willow and Giles were already there._

" _What happened?"_

" _We don't know." Willow said, her lips trembling. "The doctor wouldn't tell us anything."_

 _Giles had turned and was motioning to a man in a white coat. "Here he is now. We should be able to get some answers."_

 _The doctor approached. "You Mr. Osbourne?"_

 _I nodded._

" _I'm doctor Sadler. Come with me please?"_

" _What happened to my wife?" I demanded, but he's walking already, leading me to the room where Buffy was._

 _We stopped outside the door and I can see my wife through the window. She was pale and hooked up to an IV._

" _Mr. Osbourne, I haven't told your wife yet. I wanted to wait until you got here. She's going to need a lot of support."_

 _I stared at the doctor, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. "What…happened?"_

" _We aren't sure. But your wife suffered a hemorrhage in her abdomen…she's lost a lot of blood. It's a miracle she's alive."_

 _My mouth was dry, and my voice was hoarse as I spoke. "The baby?"_

 _The doctor sighed and shook his head. "There was nothing we could do. By the time her friend got her here, she had already miscarried."_

 _If the doctor said anything after that, I didn't hear him. I couldn't hear anything. Couldn't feel anything. Didn't feel my back hit the wall, or my hands grabbing for support as my legs gave out. Couldn't feel Giles' hands on my shoulders as he tried to steady me._

 _I could barely make out his concerned face in front of me. I knew he was saying something. I didn't know what it was, and I didn't really care._

 _Giles sat on the floor across from me, waiting for me to start breathing again. I guess at some point I did because I could make out what he was saying now._

" _She's going to need you."_

 _I nodded, the action making me dizzy. Giles helped me up and I took a deep breath before slowly waking into Buffy's room, the doctor entering behind me._

 _My mate looked at me, her eyes wide and filling with tears as she saw my face. The doctor didn't need to tell her anything. My face said it all._

 _I went to the bed and pulled her into my arms. I vaguely heard the doctor talking to her over my shoulder and felt her start to shake as sobs wracked her small frame._

 _I don't know how long we stayed like that, crying together, but her cries of anguish gave way to sniffles and silent tears and I pulled away, looking at her face._

" _What happened?" I asked softly._

 _Her eyes were wide and she shook her head. "I don't know. I was in your room, watching TV, then all of a sudden there was this presents… like a dark shadow in the room with me. So I ran. I ran outside, b-but it caught me. It went right though me...and then…I-I don't know! I woke up and I was here, and everything hurt so much…"_

 _I pulled her into my arms again, her tears soaking my shirt. But she was still talking. It was muffled, but I heard her._

" _Willow said she found me. She said there was blood everywhere…"_

 _Willow. Buffy had been at my place. Why had Willow been there?_

… _._

 _Buffy was released from the hospital 2 days later and we went straight to Giles'. I needed answers._

 _Everyone was already there, and Giles had made a spot on the cough for Buffy with a blanket and extra pillows. Giles forever has my loyalty for the way he cares for my mate._

" _Buffy told you what she saw that night." It wasn't really a question._

 _Giles nodded. "I have already begun my research but… we don't have much to go on, I'm afraid."_

 _That was pretty much what I expected. But there was someone in the room I was sure had more information._

" _Willow." I turned to her. "Buffy said you found her outside the band's house. Did you see anything?"_

 _Willow shook her head. "N-no. Buffy was on the ground, a-and she was bleeding but there was no shadow or anything."_

 _Something in her voice was off, and my wolf was raging inside me._

" _What were you doing there?"_

 _The question caught her off guard. "What?"_

" _You found Buffy at the house… but why were you there in the first place?"_

 _Xander jumped to his friend's defense. "Hey! Without Will, Buffy could have died. Don't you think you're asking the wrong question?"_

 _I didn't take my eyes off Willow as I spoke. "No. I don't."_

 _Willow looked nervous now. "I-I was just walking. It was a nice night."_

 _My eyes narrowed. "No, it wasn't. It was cold. And I don't live that close to the dorms, Willow."_

 _Willow began to stammer and out of the corner of my eye I saw Giles stand, looking at Willow suspiciously. "It was unusually cold for California. Not exactly weather one would want to be out in unless they had a reason. What were you doing Willow?"_

" _I'm sure she had a perfectly good reason." Xander insisted. "Right Will?"_

 _Willow was silent and Xander blinked at her. "Tell em' Willow."_

 _I took a step toward her. "You knew something was going to happen." It wasn't a question._

" _I-I…" Willow sighed heavily, and the shocked look melted from her face. "I always knew you were quick, Oz."_

 _I heard my mate gasp behind me and I growled low in my throat, the sound echoing through the room. "What. Did. You. Do?"_

" _What had to be done. What did you expect?" She spat. "That I could just sit by and let this happen? That I could stand it?!"_

 _Xander is standing now too. "What are you talking about, Willow?"_

" _You really think I was going to let that little whore keep you?!"_

 _Buffy struggled to get to her feet._

" _Oh, don't bother Buffy. There's nothing you can do anyway. I already won."_

 _I felt my canines extend in my mouth and I knew my eyes were yellow now. "You haven't won anything." I snarled._

 _Willow just smiled at me, her eyes wild and dangerous. "That's what you think."_

 _Then, faster than I could blink, she smashed a vile on the floor, chanting as the room filled with purple smoke._

 _Then everything went dark._


	3. Chapter 3

Of Magic and Lies

Chapter 3

…..

Once the women managed to break the powerful memory spell, the other spells fell away with ease. A love spell, a couple compulsion spells, a smaller memory spell to make Oz forget the time he kissed Buffy after he was with Willow.

Willow may have been able to make him forget his time with Buffy, but it didn't stop his attraction to the blond. Or hers to him. Over the years, there had been moments. Many of them. A heated look, a brush of hands. But it never went any farther than that because he'd believed he was in love with Willow.

Oz bolted up as the ritual subsided, rushing out of the tent as waves of nausea rolled over him. He collapsed outside the tent door, emptying his stomach onto the grass.

The women followed him, and Joanne frowned. "That's not a side effect of the spell."

Mara shook her head. "No, it's not." She approached Oz slowly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "That bad?"

"Worse."

He allowed Mara to help him back into the tent, gratefully accepting the water she offered him.

Joanne and Mara sat patiently, waiting for him to speak.

"It was Willow." His said hoarsely. "All of it. It was Willow."

"Your lover?" Joanne asked, surprised.

Oz felt like he was going to be sick again. "She's not my lover. She's a monster." Oz closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "She took everything from me. Years of my life… are nothing but lies."

"Oz," Mara said gently. "All the spells are gone now. Your aura is clean. But… the mating bond is still there."

Oz nodded, a shaky smile playing at his lips. "As it should be." His voice broke as he spoke. "You were right all along. I just couldn't remember. She didn't let me remember."

"Your mate…"

"Was the woman who I was made to believe was just a friend. My Buffy…" Her name felt like a prayer on his lips.

"Your friend that died." Mara said, her voice filled with sorrow and understanding.

Oz nodded again. "She was my mate, my wife, my everything. And now she's gone, and I didn't even…" Oz looked away, his pain overwhelming.

After a moment he continued. "She killed our child. Made Buffy miscarry. And I've been with her, _loving her_ for years."

"You didn't know." Joanne spoke up. "You couldn't have known."

"It doesn't make it any better."

Mara and Joanne exchanged a look. There was more he needed to know.

"There's something else. Your bond with your mate… the witch's magic was clouding it before, but now it's- "

"It's killing me faster. I know. I can feel it."

"I'm so sorry."

Oz looked at them, his eyes wide and sincere. "No. I am so grateful. Without both of you, I would have never learned the truth. Some things are worse than death."

"You shouldn't suffer as much now." Joanne told him softly, her eyes sympathetic. "Death brought on by a severed mating bond is supposed to be peaceful and quick. The black magic was clouding it, making it kill you slowly, like a poison."

"It's better this way." Oz said quietly. "I'll get to be with her soon. I only regret that I won't make it to Sunnydale to stop Willow."

"The witch must be stopped." Mara said, her voice hard and determined. "We will make sure you and your mate get justice."

Oz shook his head. "There is no justice for what she did to us. But I don't want her to be able to hurt anyone else."

"We'll find a way to stop her. We promise." Joanne told him.

"You'll need help." Oz's voice was already weaker. "Got a pen and paper?"

Mara nodded, hurrying to get what the young wolf requested.

Oz scribbled some information down and handed it back to her. "That's how you can reach Rupert Giles. You'll need to take the spells off him too, but after that, he'll help you." Oz began to sway where he sat, and Mara guided him back on the mat, helping him settle against the pillows.

"You shouldn't be alone right now. You can stay with me. Don't worry about a thing, okay?" She smiled down at him sadly.

"Thanks Mara. For everything." He said, his voice almost a whisper. Oz's eyes closed, his breathing ragged.

Joanne and Mara looked at each other, tears welling in their eyes. It wouldn't be long now. This tragic story was about to come to a tragic end.

….

2 days later Mara was outside. It was storming, and she was collecting rain water, enjoying the feel of the cool drops as they ran over her skin. Suddenly an anguished cry came from her tent. She ran back inside and found Oz trashing on the mat, his face contorted in pain.

"Joanne!" Mara shouted.

The brunette rushed in, taking in the site before her in horror as Oz continued to scream.

"This isn't normal." Mara insisted.

"No, it isn't." Joanne agreed. "Think it's the witch?"

"It has to be!"

The women struggled to hold Oz still, fearing he would hurt himself. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, and Oz was lax in their arms. The women looked at each other, fearing the wolf had died in such a horrible way.

But the next second, Oz's eyes snapped open. "Buffy." Oz sprang up and ran out of the tent into the rain, looking around wildly, like he wasn't sure where he was.

The women ran after him.

"Oz, stop! Come back inside, you're not well!" Mara called after him.

He spun to face her as she and Joanne caught up to him. "I'm fine." Oz looked down at himself in surprise. In the last 2 days, his body had seemed to waste away before his eyes, but now he looked like nothing had ever been wrong. "I'm fine."

Mara gasped, seeing a light in Oz she hadn't seen since he arrived. "Your aura…"

Oz looked up at the sky, letting the ran wash over his face. When he looked at Mara again his expression was of pure awe. "She's alive."

Joanne blinked, shock covering her face. She grabbed the 2 wolves and pulled them in the direction of Mara's tent. "Come on, lets get back inside, huh?"

Inside the tent, Mara handed out hand woven towels and they dried off. Then she looked at Oz. "What happened? You were screaming and then all of a sudden..." She gestured as his now healthy form.

Oz hesitated, not sure how to explain. "I-I think I felt them resurrect her. I know she's alive. I can feel her." Oz looked toward the door again. "I have to go back."

"You're going to need a plan first." Joanne pointed out. "You rush in there and you'll probably end up back where you started: chock full of black magic and she'll probably kill your mate."

Oz nodded, looking down at his hands. Joanne was right.

"We can't go with you. It'll raise too much suspicion, and the witch has leverage now. She can undo whatever she did to bring your mate back, so you can't let her know you're on to her." Joanne explained. "But we have a contact in Sunnydale who is willing to help."

"Good. She can remove the spells on Giles. He'll go back to Sunnydale as soon as he hears Buffy's alive. I won't have to worry about trying to track him down."

"Here." Mara handed him a small, glossy, white pendant hung on a thin black cord. "It's a blessed opal. It'll protect you from unwanted spells. It won't do much against something big and dark like that memory spell, so still be careful, but it will protect you from more minor spells like compulsion spells, or love spells."

Oz smiled. "Thank you. I have a feeling I'm gonna need it."

It was time to return to his mate.

…

Alright! Things are about to heat up! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. You guys made me smile so much. More to come!


	4. Chapter 4

Of Magic and Lies

Chapter 4

…

Oz stepped out of the trademark blue van, his red hair and pale skin absorbing the warm rays of the California sun. He closed his eyes briefly, reveling in the familiar buzz of his bond, something he had been missing for the past few months, even though he hadn't known it was there.

A week had passed since Buffy's resurrection and his departure from Tibet, and he was finally back on the Hellmouth. He stood outside of the cozy looking house that belonged to Mara and Joanne's contact, a woman by the name of Tara MacClay.

He walked up to the front door and knocked. A moment later he was greeted by a shy looking witch with dark blond hair. "Uuh h-hi. Y-you must be Oz."

Oz nodded. "Yeah. Tara, right?"

She nodded, opening the door wider. "C-come in."

Oz stepped inside the home, the scent of incense hitting him immediately. "You might not want to say that to any visitors you get after dark."

Tara blushed. "R-right." Tara led him to her living room and gestured for him to have a seat on her sofa.

"M-Mara told me a little a-about w-what happened. W-What do you n-need me t-to do?" Tara asked him. When Mara told her about what had been done to the red headed man in front of her, she had been horrified. What that witch had done to him… it went against everything magic stood for, and she'd vowed to do anything she could to help.

Oz ran a hand through his hair. As much planning as they'd done, things were still so complicated. And he had so much to lose if things went south.

"The spell Willow did was pretty wide spread. There were a lot of people affected, directly and indirectly. Mara said there was no way to reverse the spell itself, that we'd have to break it down a little at a time."

Tara nodded. "T-that's true. The s-spell w-was her own c-creation, I've n-never h-heard of anything like that b-before."

"All my friends are still under. Do you think you can remove the spells from them without Willow knowing?"

"Y-yes. B-but will they b-be able t-to keep up the a-act?"

Oz frowned. He could. Giles could. The others… no probably not. Xander was way too explosive, Anya didn't have a discrete bone in her body, and Buffy… as much as he wanted to break the spell on her, have her memories return and have her know what'd they'd shared… he had to wait. She would already been shaken up from her resurrection. He couldn't put this on her too, not yet. It'd be too much. But he wasn't going to lie to himself. He knew he wouldn't be able to pretend there was nothing between them. He'd have to tread carefully.

"No." He said finally. "But I need Giles in this. He won't do anything that'd put Buffy at risk."

"C-can you get him h-here tomorrow?"

"I can."

…

She was inside. He could feel her. It was almost funny. Their bond had never left them, but there were so many things he hadn't noticed while he was under Willow's spell, that were so blaringly obvious now. He'd always known he could sense her, but he'd chocked it up to her being the Slayer and him being a wolf. Now that he knew the truth, it was so much stronger. He could feel her presence like a hum under his skin.

He'd been sitting in his van outside the house for the last ten minutes. As stoic has he was… he questioned his ability to hold it together when he saw her. His entire world had been stolen away… and now he was so close to having her back.

Oz sighed. _Suck it up, Osbourne._

Buffy needed him. He could tell she was suffering. It was time to see his mate.

As he walked to the door, Oz idly wondered what Willow had done with his and Buffy's wedding rings. Maybe he'd ask before he tore her throat out.

He let himself into the home and quickly deduced that Buffy was the only one there. He wasn't sure f that was a good thing or a bad thing. Being alone with his mate, he wasn't sure his self-control would hold out.

"Hello?" He called out, not seeing her in the living room or the kitchen and definitely not trusting himself enough to go up to her bedroom. He turned towards the stairs as he heard footsteps descending. A moment later, there she was. She looked tired, and sad, her hair was a bit longer and a bit darker, but it was Buffy. She was alive.

"Oz…" She said softly, staring at the werewolf. She'd been strangely disappointed when she came back and he wasn't there, but also relieved as his absence meant he hadn't been involved in her resurrection. Standing before him now, she felt overcome with emotion she didn't understand.

"Buffy…" Control be damned, Oz sprinted up the few remaining stairs that separated them and pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. As soon as he made contact with her skin, a rush of warmth flooded through the bond, overwhelming them both. After a minute, he felt Buffy's shoulders start to shake and his shirt becoming damp with her tears. He carefully maneuvered them the rest of the way down the stairs, stroking her hair and murmuring soothingly. Once she had calmed a bit, he led her into the living room and sat with her on the loveseat.

Buffy looked up at him, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get a weepy on you. I ruined your shirt."

Oz shook his head. "It'll dry."

"H-how did you know I was back?" She asked curiously.

"I felt it." He said honestly. He had to reason to lie to her. He refused to. He just wouldn't tell her everything, not yet anyway.

Buffy blinked in surprise. "You _felt_ it?"

He nodded slowly. "You and I… have always had this connection I couldn't explain. I was in Tibet, dealing with some stuff, and one day I just felt you. And I knew. It's probably best if we keep that between us though."

Buffy nodded in agreement. She knew what Oz was talking about. For as long as she could remember, there had always been this _something_ between her and Oz. Maybe because they both had this primal force inside them, maybe because he was a werewolf and she was the slayer, or maybe it was something else, but it was almost like they had a sixth sense when it came to each other. And that was something Willow wouldn't exactly be thrilled to hear about. But sitting here with him now, she felt more at peace than she had since she'd been brought back. It was like a part of her knew as long as he was here, she'd be okay. Maybe she could tell him… Buffy frowned. He wasn't one of the ones who brought her back, but Willow was. Would he be offended that she wasn't happy with what Willow had done?

"What's wrong?" Oz's soft voice broke through her thoughts.

Buffy looked into the concerned green eyes and knew in her heart that she could trust him with the truth. She opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted as the front door swung open and Giles, Willow, and Dawn walked in.

"Oz!" Willow squealed happily, running to her boyfriend. He stood just as she leapt into his arms. It was all he could do not to shove her away, the wolf inside him snarling in rage. As she finally pulled away and looked at him, he really hoped his eyes weren't yellow.

"You're back! When did you get back?"

"Pretty much now."

"Bet you were surprised to see Buffy alive and kicking, huh? I brought her back. Pretty powerful stuff, huh?"

Oz's eyes flickered to Giles for a moment and caught the disapproving frown on his face. They'd talk later. "Uh yeah." He muttered non-committally.

Willow frowned at his less than enthusiastic reply. Why wasn't anyone impressed by what she'd done? She raised the dead for cryin out loud!

Buffy cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Uh… I should… figure out something for dinner."

Oz turned back to her and shook his head, smiling softly. "No, you take it easy. I got it. There was something I needed to ask Giles about at the Magic Shop anyway. I'll pick up something on the way back."

"Oh, Oz you don't have to do that." Buffy protested.

"I want to." It took everything in him not to press a kiss to her forehead and reassure her that everything would be fine. She looked so lost. But he couldn't blow his cover. Not yet.

He turned to Giles. "You're not busy right now, are you? There's some stuff the pack healers in Tibet recommended that I wanted to ask you about."

Giles blinked in surprise but nodded, anxious to be anywhere Willow wasn't. "Yes, now is perfectly fine."

"What kind of stuff? Magic stuff? I could help, seeing as how I'm a witch and all." Willow said, slightly annoyed at being left out.

"No magic required." Oz assured her. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before ushering Giles out the door.

Once in Oz's van and safely away from the Summers' home, Oz turned to Giles with a serious expression. "Willow's evil."

Giles stared at the werewolf in shock, his mouth opening and closing in a rather un-Giles like manner.

"I know. Shocked me too. And that's not even the half of it." He turned onto the main road, driving in the opposite direction of the Magic Box.

Giles' glanced out the window as he noticed their direction. "You didn't need anything from the shop. You wanted to discuss your concerns about Willow." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. That and something else. We're going to see a contact of the healers I met in Tibet. She's been made aware of the situation." Oz explained, keeping his eyes on the road.

Giles narrowed his eyes. "And what situation might that be?"

"The fact that Willow has had us all under a spell for the past two years." He quickly went on to explain the spells Mara and Joann had discovered on him but didn't go into detail on what exactly the spells had done.

Giles was disturbed to say the least. Oz was the last person he ever expected to think badly of Willow.

"I had my concerns about her abuse of magics, but I had no idea it had become so serious."

"None of us did." They pulled up in front of Tara's house and made their way to the door where Tara was waiting for them.

…

"You were right to keep this from the others." Giles said half an hour later as they sat in Tara's living room. "Buffy would be in grave danger should Willow discover we know the truth."

"I want to tell Buffy so badly. But with everything else that's happened, I'm not sure she can deal right now. She doesn't seem to be doing too well with being back."

Giles nodded. "Well my understanding is time moves very differently in hell dimensions. There is no telling how long she was… wherever she was. It will no doubt take her a bit of time to adjust."

Oz said nothing. He had his own suspicions about that, but he'd keep them to himself until he talked to Buffy.

"For now, it's best we keep things between us until we have a proper plan in place for binding Willow's powers." Giles went on.

Oz nodded in agreement. He looked at Tara as a sudden thought stuck him. "Do you have something that can make Willow think I'm sick? Not dying or anything, just like a cold and a stomach bug."

Tara frowned in confusion but nodded. "I'm sure I can come up with something. But why?"

"I just got back from Tibet. She's going to want to… get reacquainted. There's no way that's happening, but I just flat out reject her…"

Tara nodded in understanding. "G-give me a few m-minutes. I can make a potions that'll m-make you look ill but you w-won't a-actually feel too bad."

"We'll simply tell Willow the potion is an herb mixture to assist with the problems you were experiencing with your wolf." Giles said. "And that it has a few unpleasant side effects."

Oz nodded gratefully. One more problem solved. Now he just wanted to get back to his mate. The less time she was left alone with Willow, the better.

….

Yep. I know. I suck. I'm sorry. I had no intention of leaving this fic for so long, but I promise I'll update sooner. Next up, we get some sweet B/Oz interaction and Willow starts to get suspicious.


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